


Fall Asleep

by CadetDru



Series: Before [6]
Category: Dollhouse
Genre: Gen, Grieving, Schizophrenia, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 04:01:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3275933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CadetDru/pseuds/CadetDru





	Fall Asleep

One night, Topher found Dr. Saunders in her office, asleep at her desk. She was always there. He hadn't meant for her to be, but she was there. 

He touched her shoulder, carefully. "Dr. Saunders? Claire?"

She sat up, groggily. "Did I fall asleep?"

"For a little while," he said, not able to stop himself. He was just as conditioned as the dolls were.

She gave him a withering look. He saw it despite his wincing. "That seems highly inappropriate," Dr. Saunders said.

"I'm sorry," Topher said.

"Or maybe it's just too on the nose."

"I'm so sorry, Claire." It was the most emotionally honest thing he'd said to anyone in the place. "Please. Let me show you who you were."

"That girl's just as dead as I thought Whiskey was. Alpha killed her too. How could I ever go back to being here? Leaving aside the entie issue of my not wanting to die, not wanting to leave my own existence... how could you explain to her these scars without her being just as traumatized as I am, as I was?"

Topher didn't have an answer for her. "She... you... your former self... she was strong."

"How strong could she be, if she's gone now? She ran away."

"I asked her to," Topher said. "I gave her the opportunity. I've actually contributed quite a bit to the recruitment effort. You were the hardest to convince though. She was, I mean."

"I don't want to hear this," she said. 

"My best friend..." he started. 

"The schizophrenic girl? The one who was so afraid, so aware of what she was becoming?"

"Yes. She was..." Topher stopped. "She was another one who suffered, who didn't want to go back."

"What happened when her contract was up?"

"It's not up yet," he said.

"You have an emotional connection to one of our Actives?"

"She was hurt by Alpha, she was part of his attack and I found another way."

Her eyes widened, narrowed. "No."

"I'm so, so sorry."

"I don't want to hear this," she said again. "You have no right to be telling me this. Leave my office."

"I'm sorry," he said, one last time.


End file.
